Aubrey's recent reference to the work of painter Maxfield Parrish triggered a memory of another artist's work. It must be something to do with the way they handle light –softly warm– that made my mind put Parrish and South African painter Tertia du Toit together. Otherwise their paintings differ greatly, especially in the dynamics of posing human figures. Anyway, the only way I knew du Toit's work was through, of all things, wine labels!
We are fortunate to have found, in our favorite grocery store(s), a wonderful locally-baked fresh bread. Miller's Multi-Grain is produced by The Stone Oven Bakery & Café headquartered in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. We haven't visited their bakery but find it hard to purchase anything but their Miller's Multi-Grain. The nine-grain bread is created and par-baked at The Stone Oven. Then it is shipped to the retailer –in our case, Heinen's– where the staff of the in-store bakery finish the job. The result, if our timing is just right, is a delicacy still warm (hot, sometimes) that has a beautiful deep brown and crisp crust on the outside; the inside is tender, grainy, and sweet. It's hard not to sit right down and eat half a loaf when it's that good! Forget the pastries, gimme this bread! The good folks at Heinen's even have the sense to offer a ventilated take-home bag for the crusty delights when they are asked to machine slice the loafs.
I love shopping the wine aisles. Not that I pick up expensive bottles to stock an ever-growing cellar. Nope. I enjoy finding very good wines in the $10 to $15 range and we never have much around the house — certainly no collection. A current favorite is Monkey Business wines at about $12 a bottle. No, what I really enjoy is the art, tradition, and humor expressed upon the wine labels. Monkey Business is one good example. Recently I ran across another doozy… Mommy's Time Out. Okay, so the label art is very simple, but the name, well it's precious! I haven't tried them but the wines are said to be enjoyable, with good fruit; excellent with cheese and crackers. Most people pick up a bottle for, yes, the label. Maybe a good gift idea for Mother's Day! Or for a mom who could use a little rest.
PhotonStopper 